I Don't Want That For You Either
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: Steven's finally home and Connie's upset. She knows that she has no right to be, but she is. Steven's a frazzled mess after escaping Homeworld. Will a late night talk be able to help them both out?


**Well, I decided to try my hand at how Connie reacts to Steven's return. Because we all saw that face.**

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Connie was tired. She was tired, hungry, and upset. Very upset. Guilt bubbled in her stomach as she realized she should not be feeling any of those things. Steven was the one who had gone through everything. He handed himself over to a couple of intergalactic tyrants for something he never even did, just to protect his friends and family. Really, she had no right to be upset.

Yet, somehow, she was.

After Steven had come home and all the hugs had been shared, the Gems had tried to get her to go home for the night to catch up on her sleep. But she had refused. She couldn't stand to be away from Steven any longer than she already had. She was afraid to let him out of her sight for even a minute after what had happened. What if another pair of Homeworld goons came for him? She was not going to take that chance.

So, Steven suggested that she spend the night at his house. Connie agreed, deciding that she would take the couch. Steven was having none of that, insisting that she take the bed and he sleep on the couch. They went on like this for about ten minutes.

Amethyst groaned. "Why don't you just share the bed?" she suggested. Steven and Connie both turned slightly pink at this, but agreed nonetheless. Greg had gone back to his van, worn out by the whole ordeal, and the Gems had retreated to their individual rooms. It was just the two of them.

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They laid side-by-side with Steven nestling his head on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "You've barely said anything since I got back."

Connie could have laughed; after all he had been through, he was asking if _she_ was okay. "I'm fine," she assured him. She turned on her side and looked him in the eye. "Are _you_ alright?"

Steven sighed. "I think I am," he said uncertainly. He looked at her. "Are you too tired to talk?"

"Never," Connie answered honestly. It didn't matter how tired she was, she was always ready to hear what he had to say. "What happened?"

"I was put on trial," Steven told her. "In front of Blue and Yellow Diamond." Connie tensed, a trial before the Diamonds themselves. She couldn't imagine how scared Steven had felt. "There was this Gem named Zircon, I guess she was like my lawyer. She was nervous because if we lost, she would serve the same punishment as me. Zircon... she figured out something huge."

"What?"

Steven averted his eyes from hers. "Rose Quartz had already begun rebelling when Pink Diamond was shattered," he said. "All of the other Rose Quartz soldiers were already bubbled away. There were no others that could have let my mom sneak up on her. Her other soldiers would have seen her and attacked her." He sighed and looked at her. "There was no way that my mom could have shattered Pink. Zircon said that it would have had to be someone with supreme authority. Like on of the Diamonds."

Connie should have been relieved, but somehow this made her even more upset. Steven felt like he had to pay for what his mom did, but now they knew that it was a crime that she never even committed. "So, that was all for nothing?" she demanded.

Steven looked surprised. "What do you mean?" he asked.

It was Connie's turn to look away. "Forget it, it's nothing," she lied. Now was not the time. He was tired and he needed to sleep.

"Connie..." said Steven in an attempt to be stern.

"You giving yourself up!" exclaimed Connie in a burst of anger. All the feelings that she had been trying to hide finally came to life. She quickly sat up. "We could have helped you! _I_ could have helped you! We could have fused! Stevonnie might have been able to take down both Topazes!" She felt like a failure. Ever since she had taken up the sword, she had been trained to protect him. And she didn't. She had failed him, Pearl, and herself.

"We don't know that," Steven mumbled, not looking at her. "Aquamarine would have just taken us both, along with everyone else. It had to be me, Connie. Someone had to pay for what my mom did and I have her gem, so it had to be me."

"You're not Rose Quartz!" Connie cried, trying not to look at the hurt expression on his face. "You're name is Steven Quartz Universe! You like a cartoon about crying food! You think everyone deserves a chance, no matter how horrible they are! You've helped everyone in Beach City no matter how difficult the job is! You're kind, caring, and the sweetest boy I know! You were innocent, Steven!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "T-They could have shattered you, Steven."

Steven looked about to cry himself. "I just wanted to protect you," he said softly. "It was my fault. I gave Peridot the list-"

"Then it's her fault for reporting it!" Connie snapped. "Or maybe it's Lapis' for telling them where Beach City was and where to find us! Or maybe it's mine, Steven! I've been trained for months to protect you and I couldn't even do that!" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "My job is to risk everything just to make sure you're okay!"

"B-But I don't want that for," whimpered Steven.

"Then I don't want that for you either!" Connie retorted. "I don't want you to risk yourself for anyone else if you don't want me to risk myself! Steven, you don't have to be a hero! You're only fourteen, you need time to be a kid."

"But my Mom-" began Steven.

"Your Mom wouldn't have wanted you to sacrifice yourself!" Connie cut him off. "And neither do we. After you were taken, Garnet split apart! Sapphire was so lost and Ruby burned right through the floor! Pearl wouldn't stop crying and Amethyst punched a hole through the wall before she locked herself in her room for four hours! Steven, we love you!"

Steven shook his head. "Connie, I'm not the hero here. Lars is. Now, he's stuck on Homeworld and I don't know how we're going to save him! Or how we're going to tell his parents or Sadie."

In all honesty, Connie had forgotten all about Lars. "Your my hero, Steven Quartz Universe," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him. "And you always will be. I love you Steven."

Steven, once again, buried his face in her shoulder. "I love you too, Connie." They fell asleep like that, holding onto each other like either one would sleep through the others' grasp in the night.

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 **I don't really like how this ended, but I hope you guys did! I'm not really good at all this emotional stuff, but I am learning!**


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